The Secret
by MadelineJade
Summary: Clementine is a mystery. The Malfoy family took her in when she was six years old, but even they know little of where she came from before that. At Hogwarts, she begins a relationship with Harry, but her past threatens everything they have together. R&R!
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

"Oh please, Lucious. We can't just leave her all alone!" Narcissa Malfoy pleaded with her husband as her long, chalk-white fingernails dug deep into the shoulders of the little girl.

"Well we can't very well bring home a strange child to live with us! How could we explain her? And what of Draco? How do you think he would feel?" snarled Lucious, always coming to the defense of his only son. The couple continued to argue in front of a book store on one of London's more crowded streets. Through it all, the little girl remained quiet and still, staring at the damp cobblestone ground. If the fighting bothered her, she didn't show it. Her hands were folded neatly in front of her and her breathing was steady. Not a single emotion could be read on her face; she was calm and focused. Only when Narcissa suddenly wrapped a protective arm tightly across her chest did she even flinch.

"She's been outside on the street every week we've been here. She's alone and so young and… just look," she paused to bend down and tilt the girl's face up towards Lucious, "she must be about Draco's age. Imagine our son, Lucious, all alone in the cold. Wouldn't you want a loving family to find him and care for him?"

For an instant, it seemed that Lucious was wavering in his opinion. But with a stern exhale through his nose, he turned his back to his wife and the child.

"I'm not saying anymore, Narcissa. We're leaving now, and I do not want this subject brought up ever again, do you understand?"

Slowly, Narcissa began to release her grip on the small girl and solemnly walk towards her husband. She paused to look back at the child, but she just stared straight ahead. It was almost as if she hadn't noticed the couple standing with her for the past ten minutes. The Malfoys watched as the girl eerily walked backwards to her original spot in front of the book store. Her eyes remained focused on some unknown and distant object as she sat down, hugged her legs up against her chest, and rested her chin on a knee.

The girl remained still for hours.

Rain beat down on her auburn hair. People dropped coins at her feet. Nothing caused her to move. She just sat, motionless, hugging her small legs tightly to her frail body.

Night fell. As if some unknown force compelled her, the girl stood up and began walking around the corner. She walked briskly, despite the frigid air slicing against her torn clothes. She had only made it half a block when she bumped into someone. She gasped; it was, perhaps, the first sound to escape her lips that entire day. She looked up to see the same tall blond man that had been arguing with his wife earlier that day. He held out a hand to her,

"My wife has convinced me to take you home. Just for the a few days, however, until we figure out where you belong."

The girl stared at his hand, encased in a black leather glove. She looked over her shoulder, peered behind his torso to look down the street, and then back up at him. Without a word, she grabbed his hand and let him lead her to a horse-drawn carriage down the block.

The ride was quick, maybe twenty minutes, and when the carriage stopped the little girl climbed out without any assistance and made for the front door. She paused, allowing Lucious to open it for her, and cautiously stepped inside. A great spiral staircase sprawled out before her and at the top, she saw a young blond boy, about her age, peering out at her from behind the rails. At the sound of the mahogany door shutting, Narcissa Malfoy scooped up her small son and ran down the stairs. She knelt so she was eye level with the girl.

"You're safe now, dear. We'll look after you. Can you tell us your name?" On that, she rose to stand next to her husband and child. To the little girl, the sight of these three white-haired people looking down on her was almost frightening. She gave a polite half smile, but did not answer their question. Without warning, the boy demanded loudly,

"Come on then, what're we supposed to call you?"

Almost inaudibly, the child cleared her throat and stepped forward, as if preparing for a great stage performance.

"My name is Clementine."


	2. Chapter One

**Chapter One**

Ten years after discovering Clementine, the Malfoy family was not much different from any other wizarding family in England. Their sixteen-year-old son, Draco, was returning home from his fourth year at Hogwarts and had been doing extremely well in the Slytherin house. Lucius worked at the Ministry of Magic and Narcissa enjoyed a life of luxury at their manor in the country.

As for Clementine, she grew into a beautiful young woman, with deep auburn hair and green eyes. Over the years, the Malfoys had developed differing opinions of her; Narcissa treated her as the daughter she had always wanted, paying for her to attend school and dressing her in fine clothes. Lucius, on the other hand, resented her presence and thought that she took attention away from Draco. Clementine paid no attention to his coldness, however obvious it might be. She earned high marks in school, excelled at her piano lessons, and was quick to make friends. Draco also cared for her a great deal; he often referred to her as the only person he had a "soft spot" for. Their relationship was less like brother and sister and more like close friends. Clementine had great respect for the Malfoy family, despite rumors in school that they were heartless, cruel people who cared for nobody but themselves. She stuck up for them whenever the opportunity arose. While Clementine shared none of their staunch beliefs regarding purifying the wizard race, she did not let it affect how she felt about the only family she had ever known.

It was an unusually cool afternoon in June when Lucius came back from picking up Draco from the train station. Narcissa and Clementine had been busy cooking Draco's favorite meal all day. As the door opened, both women sprang up and rushed to the foyer to greet the men.

"Oh Draco!" Narcissa beamed, smothering her son's face with a rather embarrassing barrage of kisses. Clementine stifled a giggle as she watched Draco cringe.

"Yes mum, I'm happy to see you too," he said, subtly pushing her aside to embrace Clementine.

"I'm so glad you're home! I can't wait to hear about school this year," she cried, throwing her arms around his neck. He laughed warmly and replied,

"What do you mean, 'hear about school'? I've sent loads of letters, silly." Clementine was always excited to hear about Hogwarts. One of the conditions Lucius had for taking her in was to forbid her from attending any wizarding events like the Quidditch cup or school shopping in Diagon Alley. His greatest fear was that she was a mud-blood, so he thought it best to keep her hidden from most of their friends. Whenever her friends from school asked why she knew so much about the Malfoys, she was required to tell them that they were "friends of the family." Clementine was never allowed to have friends over and under no circumstances was she to disclose her true relationship with the family.

"I know, but I've forgotten some of the stories so I want to hear them again. I'll come upstairs and help you unpack so you can tell me all about it," she proposed, but Lucius placed a firm hand on her shoulder that stopped her instantly.

"Let's all sit down to dinner together so we can all hear Draco's stories, hmm?" He said it as a suggestion, but it was clear in his eyes that there was to be no arguing.

"Yes, sir," Clementine quietly replied as Lucius pushed her out of the way to put his arm around Draco and lead him into the impressive dining room.

Dinner went on unremarkably; Draco did most of the talking and Lucius seemed pleased that Clementine wasn't saying much. Once the table was finally clear, Draco and Clementine retired to her bedroom to catch up more. She hadn't mentioned anything about her year, and he was eager to hear how school had gone.

"I wish I had exciting news like you, Draco, but I'm afraid nothing will compare to the Tri-Wizard Tournament or the Quidditch games you always talk about. Speaking of, how did your last game go?" she asked, but Draco was staring at a book on her nightstand. It was a book of spells he had used in his third year at Hogwarts.

"Where did you get this?" he asked, puzzled.

"I found it in your room. I started reading it one night and thought it might be fun to try and learn some of it," Draco stood up to protest, but Clementine continued, "It was tricky at first, but I've almost got the hang of it, I think. Look," she commanded, and gestured to a small doll sitting on her bed. Draco stared in disbelief as the doll began to float easily over the pillow and fell slowly back down on the vanity table across the room.

"You… taught yourself how to do this?" Suddenly, Clementine felt scared and ashamed, as if she had done something horribly wrong.

"Well, yes, just for fun… was that bad?"

Draco walked forcefully towards her and grabbed her by the shoulders. She winced at his fury, but quickly realized it wasn't fury at all. It was excitement.

"We have to go tell my parents. We have to get them to send you to Hogwarts!" Draco cried, but Clementine immediately grabbed his hand and pulled him away from the door.

"No! Draco, please. I don't want anyone to find out. I honestly didn't think it would matter," she protested. But Draco's smile remained.

"Don't you see, Clementine? This is incredible. You're teaching yourself spells that it takes most people years to master. And most witches and wizards can't ever do things without a wand," he explained, taking her hand and almost dragging her down the spiral staircase. She stopped him at the bottom of the stairs and looked up at him with pleading eyes.

"But… I don't want to be special. My whole life, I've been different. I've been a stranger in my only family and I've had to lie to my friends about where I live and who I live with. I don't want to be the new girl at school who taught herself magic and have everyone expect all these great things of me. They'll treat me like a freak, and I just want to be normal. Please?" Her eyes almost filled with tears and her voice broke, but Draco paid no attention. He burst into the living room where his parents were sipping brandy and discussing Lucius' day at work.

"Mum! Dad! You'll never believe this," he began, motioning for Clementine to step into the room. She stood respectfully in front of them and hoped that Draco would see reason. For a moment, she was touched by his excitement; she knew part of it stemmed from him wanting them to be at the same school so they could be together. But the thought of being treated as an outcast was more than she could bear. She became almost deaf to the sounds of the Malfoy family talking; Draco's voice explaining her talents sounded as though it were miles away. When he grabbed her hand and told her to show his parents what she had just shown him, all her senses came crashing in on her. Lights became brighter and hotter. The slightest noise was almost piercing.

"Come on, Clementine. Show them," Draco urged. The sight of the entire family bearing down on her with their eyes, urging her to perform like some circus animal became too much. She shut her eyes and clenched her fists until her knuckles were white. Anger seemed to be spilling out of her; so much anger that it nearly knocked her to the ground. She opened her eyes and stared violently at the goblet of brandy in Narcissa's hand.

The sound of shattering glass shook her out of her brief and terrifying madness.

Narcissa shrieked in pain and Clementine watched as shards of blood-stained glass fell crashing to the floor.


	3. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

_A/N: Sorry it took so long to post this chapter, guys. With midterms and working 25 hours a week (and going to the midnight premiere of the seventh movie!), I had to let it sit on the back burner for a while. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this one! I own Clementine, and perhaps the nice version of Draco (Draco 2.0?), nothing else. R&R, please and thank you _=)

"What have you done?" Lucius snarled, kneeling down to help his sobbing wife off the ground.

Clementine stood, speechless. She reached out next to her, hoping for Draco's hand, but she found nothing but air. He was already bent down at his mother's side, wrapping her hand in a towel he had found in the bathroom.

"I… I'm so sorry. You must believe me, it was an accident. You know I would never do anything to hurt any of you!" Clementine cried as tears began rolling down her blushed cheeks. Draco looked up at her with apologetic eyes, as if to take some of the blame for what had happened. She clung to the doorframe as Lucius stood up and nearly ran towards her.

"Just get upstairs! I'll deal with you in the morning. Don't you dare come downstairs until you're told, is that clear?" he yelled. His grey eyes shook with anger and, without another word, Clementine dashed upstairs and threw herself onto her bed. As if she was afraid of her own angry thoughts, she fell instantly asleep and did not wake until early the following evening.

Clementine felt someone's weight on the edge of her bed and, without opening her eyes, she knew it was Draco. He asked how she was, but she stayed quiet. She slowly sat up and tucked a strand of hair neatly behind her ear; the pair was silent for at least a minute before he said,

"I should've listened to you, Clem, and I'm sorry. This is all my fault," Draco began, but Clementine stopped him by resting her small hand on top of his.

"No. It isn't. I knew better than to teach myself magic and I shouldn't have let my anger get the best of me like that. It's happened before, but not with anybody else." Draco looked horrified at the thought of her having these spells before, but he said nothing.

"Have they told you what they're going to do with me?" Clementine continued. Draco took a deep breath and informed her that they were waiting to talk to her downstairs. When Draco left, she dressed herself in a royal purple sweater and a charcoal grey pencil skirt before heading downstairs to learn her fate. She paused at the foot of the stairs when she heard Narcissa and Lucius quietly arguing in the dining room. Ignoring her better instincts, she held her ear to the door and tried to piece together their conversation,

"You know how I feel about him, and I don't want that man my house!" Lucius hissed. A chair scooted across the floor and she heard Narcissa's customary black boots walking across the room,

"I don't like him anymore than you do, Lucius, but he will be able to tell us what's best for Clementine. And you know how happy it would make Draco to have her with him. They adore each other, whether you like it or not."

"Just why am I supposed to care so much about 'what's best' for her? She's nothing but a…" Clementine didn't care to hear anymore so she knocked timidly on the door and turned the gold handle.

Narcissa was seated and Lucius stood dutifully behind her with a hand placed protectively on her shoulder. Clementine shivered as she entered the room, but hoped they wouldn't notice. She folded her hands in front of her and did not look up until Narcissa began to speak,

"We're not angry at you for what happened with the glass, dear," Lucius rolled his eyes but he let his wife continue, "but we do think something needs to be done with you."

Clementine cringed and prepared herself for the worst. No more piano lessons? Banned from seeing her friends after school and on the weekends? Possible punishments were churning in her head, each more terrible than the last, when a she heard a loud CRACK behind her. Too afraid to look, she just listened as heavy footfalls ambled slowly toward her. She shut her eyes and took a deep breath before looking over her shoulder. Clementine gasped; not because she was afraid of what she saw, but because, looking at this man, the notion of fear seemed almost laughable.

The man was tall and elderly, with silvery hair falling well beyond his shoulders and a pair of blue eyes peering out at her over half-moon spectacles. She felt instantly at ease as he stepped towards her, his sage green robes flowing effortlessly behind him.

"Clementine, my name is Albus Dumbledore. I am Headmaster at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," the old man politely introduced himself and placed a gentle hand on Clementine's shoulder before he carried on with his speech, "I'd like to speak to the girl alone Lucius, Narcissa, if that is all right with you."

Shocking as it was to see the Malfoys taking orders from this seemingly harmless old man, Clementine was relieved to have them out of the room.

"Now then," Dumbledore began again, "the Malfoys told me about what happened last night, with the glass. Do things like that happen often?"

"No, sir. At least, not in front of other people. If I get really upset in my bedroom, a book will fly off the shelf or a picture will fall off the wall. I've never hurt anyone before." She expected a reaction of shock or horror, but Dumbledore simply sat and nodded slowly.

"And you've been teaching yourself spells from Draco's school books, correct?"

Clementine nodded and, without any prompting from Dumbledore, two silver candlesticks began rising off the table, her eyes following them till they nearly reached the ceiling. She let them hover there before they slowly came back down, landing gently in their original spots. Dumbledore's eyes widened slightly with interest.

"Do you think I should come to Hogwarts sir? It sounds like a lovely place, from what Draco's told me, but I'm not sure I'd be happy there," The sadness and sincerity with which she spoke forced Dumbledore from his seat and stand directly facing her.

"It's true, you may not be happy at Hogwarts. But doesn't it seem a tremendous shame to let your talent go to waste before you've fully realized your potential?"

Clementine shrugged, "Talent? What can I do that's so special- lift a few things off the table without saying anything? That hardly seems impressive, given the things that Draco tells me he's learnt at school."

Dumbledore chuckled at her naïveté and sat back down, "It may not seem like much, my dear, but what Draco and his classmates can do took them years of practice. And not one of them can do any of it without the help of their wand."

For a brief moment, Clementine felt a tinge of excitement about going to Hogwarts. But all at once, a wave of doubt settled in.

"Could you even let me in? With all due respect, sir, but has anyone ever started there as a fifth year?"

Dumbledore reassuringly nodded his head, "You are quite right, Clementine. Hogwarts is a school that is rich in tradition and rules. But, as headmaster, there is not much of a limit to the things I am allowed to do. It will take quite a bit of hard work on your part, but I imagine that if you study over the summer, with Draco's help, you would be quite prepared to join us as a fifth year at Hogwarts. You shall be receiving a letter from the school in a few weeks time, but it is your choice whether you wish to attend or not."

On that, he rose from his seat and held out his hand,

"I look forward to hearing what you decide, Clementine. Your talent is great and, whether you choose to attend the school or not, you will have nothing but my respect."

Clementine beamed and shook his hand vigorously, "Thank you, Professor Dumbledore."

He smiled sincerely down at her and, with another loud crack, disappeared before her eyes.


End file.
